This invention pertains to the field of the storage and preservation of products in a thermostated cabinet, especially in a refrigerator or freezer. It pertains more specifically to the field of storing biomedical reagents and consumables, the preservation of organs for transplantation, which exhibit low tolerance to thermal variations and require rigorous management of the stored products.
Known in the state of the art is DE 29812877 which describes a refrigerator comprising a means for reading a transponder element affixed to the refrigerated products, in which the transponder element has an identification code. Also known is JP 10316210 which describes a refrigerator for storing food products, as well as EP 142688 and EP 851377.
These types of equipment can not be employed for the management of biological products which require a high degree of rigor with respect to the conditions of use and the thermal cycles. For this type of biological product, robotized thermostated cabinets have been proposed in the state of the art. These cabinets have electromechanical manipulators, controlled by a computer which stores in memory the movements of the products that are handled. This type of equipment is very expensive and is not completely reliable. In fact, a voluntary or involuntary change in the placement of the products in the cabinet severely disturbs the processing of the information which is solely based on the position of the manipulator arm at the moment when each product is deposited. If the position is changed other than by the manipulator arm, the calculator is unaware of this change and provides erroneous information.
It would accordingly be advantageous to resolve these disadvantages by providing a more reliable device, the additional cost of whichxe2x80x94compared to a simple thermostated cabinet or cellxe2x80x94is small, and which enables rigorous management of the conditions of use and perfect traceability of the operating conditions. It would especially be advantageous to enable an irreversible association between the data relative to the life of the product and the product in question, and guarantee a continuity of information to enable reliable exploitation by other devices.
This invention relates to a thermostated cabinet for storing articles fitted with a radio-frequency identifier including a cabinet having an opening for introducing and removing articles, an article monitor comprising at least one radio-frequency receiver connected to at least one antenna for detecting movements of the articles, and means for providing data to the radio-frequency identifier.